Herbal Gardening, Part 2

A Master Gardeners (MG) demonstration inspired us to try container gardening, beginning with starting plants from seed indoors.

The MG endorsed starting from seed for two major reasons.

1. It offers an easy way to grow a wide variety of plants. The plant nursery or gardening shops can only stock a limited variety of plants, and it seems that all the stores offer the same choices. With seeds, there is practically no limit to the choices.

2. Gardens can get an early start, even in regions with shorter growing seasons. This seems important for our northeastern Oregon region...it's still dropping down to freezing temperatures, so we dare not plant outdoors, except for a few cold-hardy plants. (The MG mentioned carrots as being especially cold-hardy.)

We came home from the demonstration with some basic supplies:

• Instructions
• Biodegradable starting pots
• Tomato seedlings
• Seeds

We have planting mix left over from last year's dismal attempt at container gardening. We'll have to add some kind of fertilizer.

We're also trying to decide what kind of containers to use. We could find discarded five-gallon plastic buckets. We have two small tubs, about 18-inches wide, 12" high...we're thinking they might be too small.

Another option is building a larger container, four-feet square. Not sure where to put a large container...we are renting our house, and have to consider what the owner allows.

One strong possibility is Square Foot Gardening. This method claims to have some major advantages:

• User Friendly - Great for beginners
• Locate Anywhere - Close to your house
• Economical - Reduces everything 5 to 1
• Efficient - 100% of the crop in 20% of the space
• Easy to Protect - From pests and weather
• Earth Friendly - Reduce Reuse Recycle
• Very Productive - Just as much as you need

But all that will come later...right now we'll get ready to plant the seeds indoors and raise some seedlings.

Herbal Gardening, Part 1

We went to a Master Gardeners (MG) demonstration today. Two very nice, very knowledgeable ladies described the basics of home gardening. Of course, they did not mention the D-word...dandelions...and I didn't broach the subject. But they did inspire us to once again try gardening.

We came home with a handful of vegetable and herb seeds, two tomato seedlings, biodegradable starting pots, and a plastic tray to hold everything.

Our plan is to fill each pot with planting mix and set them together by our south-facing double-glass door. The MG recommended covering with plastic wrap, trapping moisture, until they start to sprout.

I feel that I should pause here and justify writing about a civilized, cultivated garden while posting to a wildcrafting, foraging, and just-eat-the-weeds-blogging site.

These are serious questions: Am I a forager or am I a gardener? Will this blending of philosophies dismay my readers?

Pondering my direction required several moments of consideration and soul-searching, and here is the conclusion:

I like to eat plants. Whether through serendipitous foraging or scheming gardening, I like picking plants and eating them.

So, I'll be writing a series of articles about my venture into herbal gardening.

Come along with me!

First Puffball!

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

My lawn's first dandelion-gone-to-seed-of-the-year has brightened my day. I carefully plucked this dandy specimen and gently brushed the "soft, fluffy pappus on long beaked seeds" on the ground, spreading future yellow-flower-joy to other parts of my domain.

This white blowball has hundreds of seeds, each with it own little parachute, light as a thistle, designed to float with the wind to every corner of the world. How can anyone resist its sunny disposition and its selfless desire to gladden every heart?

"Official Remedy" is the translation of its scientific name, a tribute to its once proud position as a widely-used herbal medication. At one time, the seeds were purposely carried from place to place for cultivation (Harrington, 52).

Almost every book on my plant reference shelf includes a description of the dandelion. It is the King of DYC's (Darned Yellow Composites, referring to the uncountable numbers of yellow-flowered plants with which God has blessed us!)

Here's a brief rehash of the dandelion's myriad uses as food and healing:

Roots:

• peel, slice like carrots or use whole, and boil until soft
• roast or fry, grind as for coffee

Leaves:

• fresh in a salad
• boiled as a potherb or tea (fresh or dry leaves)

Flower heads:

• drop on top of pancake batter on the frying pan
• dip into pancake batter and fry as appetizers
• boil, add sugar, oranges, lemon, raisins, and yeast to ferment into wine

Puffball:

• blow on the puffball
• count the sees left to determine how many times you'll marry (Gibbons, 78)

Potential benefits:

• vitamins A, B, and D
• improves blood circulation (Brown, 103)
• fiber
• iron
• calcium
• protein
• prevents or cures liver diseases
• purifies your blood
• dissolves kidney stones
• improves gastro-intestinal health
• assists in weight reduction
• cleanses your skin and eliminates acne
• improves your bowel function
• relieves both constipation and diarrhea;
• prevents or lowers high blood pressure;
• prevents or cures anemia;
• lower your serum cholesterol
• eliminates or drastically reduces acid indigestion
• prevents or cures various forms of cancer

Reference Links:

• http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.com
• Harrington, H. D.; Western Edible Wild Plants, 1972, The University of Mexico Press
• Brown, Tom; Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival, 1983, The Berkley Publishing Group
• Densmore, Frances; How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts, 1974, Dover Publications
• Gibbons, Euell; Stalking the Wild Asparagus, 1962, David McKay Company
• http://www.leaflady.org

Dandelion Salad

I enjoyed a fresh dandelion salad today, and I want to share the experience with you.

My finely-honed gardening skills have allowed several nice patches of dandelions to grow. (Skill-set required: Avoid stepping on, peeing on, mowing over, and spraying on all dandelions.)

At this stage of growth, the flower blossoms are great for eating fresh or fried, dried or fermented. Today I'm picking them for a fresh salad.

Here I've picked a large handful of blossoms. I tried to leave at least one blossom unpicked at each plant location, hoping to allow the spread of my spring delicacy.

I've also added a small handful of creeping charlie for interest.

I rinse the herbs in cold water, garnish with tomatoes, and dress with a splash of balsamic vinegar and creamy ranch dressing.

What a nice presentation!

The vinegar adds a tart-sweetness that compliments the slight bitterness of the dandelion, and the ranch dressing adds a comforting richness, enhancing the warm feeling that comes from eating healthy foods.

Good foraging!

Plantain

First sighting of the year for plantain in my yard. Small lance-leaved plantain making a brave showing.

The plantain has a warm-spot in my heart...it's so easy to identify, and so benevolent: heals owies and smoothes the soul.

Reference Links

http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.com/2009/09/plantain-plantago.html

Unknown Plants: Part 2

It's been a week or so...my unknown plant is growing nicely. I still don't know what it is, but my original guess looks likely. The edges of the leaves are increasingly serrated or runcinate.

Another plant has entered stage left, a demure white flower, about eight petals, very small.

The plant right now is about four inches high, alternately placed leaves, obovate in shape.

Busy week for me, I'll probably not be able to spend any time keying out the identification of these unknown plants, but the photos should help me later when I do have time.

Unknown Plants: Part 1

Unknown Plants

I'm often asked how I learn to identify wild plants. More specifically, How do I know that plant is edible? Disregarding the minor detail that the only person asking me this frequent question is myself, it's a good question. Here's a real-life narrative that answers that.

An unknown plant is growing in my yard. It's growing among the creeping Charlie ground ivy and henbit that I have already identified.

In this photo, the unknown plant is the larger one, in the upper, right-hand corner. A couple of henbits are standing tall, very close to the unknown. Creeping Charlie, a ground ivy, is covering the rest of the background, with some blades of grass in the lower, left-hand corner.

It looks tender and healthy. It reminds me of lettuce or plantain, but I just don't know what it is.

No doubt, there are many herbalists and wildcrafters who could tell me the name and characteristics of this plant. But for learning purposes, let's look at two principles involving safety and sureness, and then we'll start the process of identifying an unknown plant.

Principle #1: Safety

I will eat a plant only if I absolutely, with no doubt, know its identity. I suppose, in extreme circumstances, in danger of dying from hunger, I would cautiously nibble, and wait, and then eat a plant of which I am only somewhat sure of. But that is only when survival is at stake. Right now, I have no need to take chances.

Principle #2: Reference sources

Base your identification upon at least three trusted reference sources that agree. Be sure to compare the written descriptions with the actual plant. The most sure method of learning a plant's identity is with the guidance of another, more experienced guide who is absolutely confident and skilled in recognizing the plant.

Now, how shall I begin?

Step 1: Seasonal clues

This is a young plant. It's only been growing for perhaps the last month, and it's still very early in the year for plants. I do not feel confident that an attempt to identify this plant right now would be profitable. My knowledge of plant parts and plant identification is so basic, that I'm going to wait and watch.

It's early March right now. I'll keep an eye on this plant as it matures. Too many plants look too similar when they are young. When this plant begins to flower I should be able to find some obvious characteristics that will help me identify it.

In the meantime, I can browse for some pictures that might look similar to my unknown plant.

It might be a wild lettuce. The site doesn't give the scientific name, so that makes it harder to compare with with plants that share a common name, or when the same plant is known by different common names.

Here's a potential winner: Lactuca serriola.

This candidate actually seems the most likely: Sonchus oleraceus.

I think I'll have a much better idea in a month, so I'll withold judgement for right now, and I definitely will not nibble on it!